Sunday January 18, 2015 Getting Around in Pinellas County

The US Highway 19 improvements while not done are open for traffic. 

                              

Once you are on US 19 at Gandy Boulevard, you can now get from Pinellas Park to Countryside mall  with only three stop lights and an average speed of about 45 miles per hour. Chances are you will catch at least one of the lights so it is a really quick trip.

Go over the fly over at Countryside mall; take the 580 exit, turn  right and you are at a mall entrance.

If you live in south St. Pete, you can make the same trip once you're on I 275 with only two additional stoplights and your average speed should be about 55 miles per hour. You can probably be at the Countryside mall quicker than you can get to the Tyrone mall in west St. Pete.

 If you need fuel there is convenient WAWA right on the way.

Work continues on several of the flyovers, and some exits are a bit complicated due to the construction, but for those who remember the old US19 this is a really fun ride.

Off rush hour is the best time to go, be even at rush hour the traffic flow is pretty good.

Once this whole project is complete, moving around Pinellas County will be significantly easier. There should be ample lane space to accommodate express buses and bus rapid transit (BRT).

For those of you who have avoided US 19 for years, check it out, and when you get to Countryside mall, take a look at the new Whole Foods Market. It's right there at the end of the mall.

It just may be you can go to Whole Foods at Countryside and find a place to park quicker than you can fight 4th street for a trip to Trader Joes.

The price tag for this effort was really high, exceeding $150 Million, but the results, so far, seem pretty spectacular.

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